It’s a chilly all-too-common fall afternoon in New York City and there are thousands of fans wrapped around the block in Times Square waiting for the doors to open at a famed performance theater. All shades of colors, all with vast differences in life experience and all there to see the Anomaly Tour headlined by Lecrae and co-starring Andy Mineo. But standing in the cut, on the corner, completely unaware that his fans are starting to notice him is Andy. He’s soaking in the moment. And even though, night-in and night-out, fans rap along with Andy never missing a beat or a lyric, Andy still hasn’t fully realized the moment – The time in a lucky artist’s career when he can’t stand on a corner without being recognized by his fans. His tour manager notices, grabs his shoulder and swiftly moves him inside the venue. For Andy, he’s built a personal connection with each fan that extends beyond the typical for a budding star. And even though he’s reaching the point where some might say, “He’s made it,” Andy still wants to bring everyone along with him.
But beyond the critical adulation stemming from his 2013 debut album release of “Heroes For Sale,” is an artist, known for his reflective lyricism, that connects with his fans through shared struggles, self-discovery and raw emotion. “Heroes For Sale,” debuted at #11 on the Billboard Top 200, #4 on the Top Rap Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. His follow-up EP, “Never Land,” was a reflection of Mineo’s growth as an artist and it hit #1 on iTunes. Ask any fan about Andy Mineo’s music and you’re likely to hear a story about his life as well. It’s in Andy’s life story, which is chronicled in his music, that his fans find meaning in their relationship with him. It’s in Mineo’s ability as a raconteur when he captures their conviction. And unlike any of his peers, Andy connects with his fans through truly exceptional alternative ways. Case in point, Andy launched a web series titled “Saturday Morning Car-Tunez,” a personal reality show, giving fans an up close look at his creative process and life. The web series accumulated record web traffic totaling more than 630,000 unique views and growing. And Andy is quite the social media juggernaut. With an audience approaching one million collectively on social media, Mineo stands apart from his peers with his frequent and personal interactions with fans. And as a visual artist, Andy carries his music beyond through scripting, producing and directing many of his own music videos. It’s in Andy’s capacity to bridge the divide between his fans and his art through means other than just traditional hip-hop music where he is truly a unique creative.
A Syracuse native, Mineo is now more known as the kid from Washington Heights, New York City who is selling out major performance venues all over America and across the pond in Europe. With 14 singles, seven as a featured artist, 15 guest appearances, one compilation album, two mixtapes and his incredibly successful debut album, “Heroes For Sale,” Mineo certainly isn’t an overnight sensation.